Coffee v Tea: Which is the healthier drink

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If you find yourself chasing a caffeine fix every morning, here is what you need to know to make the healthiest decision.

Both hot beverages have their own sets of health benefits. Sit down to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of tea and you might feel more calm or hydrated. A coffee before a big meeting, likewise, could leave you feeling more centred and clear of mind.

While there have been numerous studies into the positive and negative effects of both beverages, most of the work is observational, and scientific research still remains unsure as to whether one hot drink is “better for you” than the other.

If judging purely on caffeine, coffee contains almost double the amount as black tea — and too much caffeine can be detrimental to your health. So tea wins there. Counting calories? Then coffee and various types of tea, provided you don’t add milk or sugar, could help kickstart your metabolism or suppress your appetite. And if you look at the antioxidant content alone, then tea is likely the frontrunner for its many anti-inflammatory polyphenols, said to help fight disease.

For most people, the caffeine kick or wake-up effect is likely to be the main reason you’d choose either beverage. The New York Times recently reported that “a moderate amount of caffeine can wake you up, boost your mood, energy, alertness, concentration and even athletic performance.” Too much of it, however, can put pressure on the heart.

Camera IconTea has more antioxidants. Credit: News Regional Media

As for what’s more popular? “In the age old battle between tea and coffee in Australia, coffee is maintaining, and even growing, its lead,” says Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research.

A recent report states “the majority of Australians (56.1 per cent) drink at least one cup of coffee in an average week … and just under half of us (47.6 per cent) drink tea”.

Culturally, we can’t minimise how steeped both beverages are in daily life. The ritual of boiling the kettle for a morning cuppa or meeting a friend for a quick coffee can be a mood-lifting exercise and therefore beneficial for our health. Just remember that too much of any good thing is rarely a good idea, and whatever fills your cup should be enjoyed in moderation